A Belagavi court has remanded Shivaanand Neelannavar, the alleged kingpin of a multi-crore ponzi scheme, to 10 days of CID custody for further investigation. The case involves an alleged fraud of nearly Rs 1,000 crore and affects around 35,000 investors.
The CBI has arrested five individuals, including a key figure, in connection with the LUCC chit fund scam in Uttarakhand, which involves over Rs 400 crore. The case concerns alleged irregularities by the Loni Urban Multi-State Credit and Thrift Co-operative Society (LUCC), accused of enticing investors into unregulated schemes.
The Bill provides comprehensive legislation to prohibit unregulated deposits, with punishment for those promoting such schemes or defaulting on repayment.
The CBI has arrested two alleged masterminds from Mumbai in connection with the Rs 800 crore LUCC chitfund scam in Uttarakhand, where over one lakh investors were reportedly defrauded.
Police in Belagavi, Karnataka, have arrested the operator of Shivam Associates, accused of running a multi-crore Ponzi scheme that promised high returns to depositors. The case has been registered under the BUDS Act and KPID Act, and will be transferred to the CID for further investigation.
Police in Karnataka have arrested an individual running a firm accused of operating a multi-crore deposit scam, attracting investments with promises of high returns. The case involves Shivaanand S Neelanavar and his firm Shivam Associates, also known as Acumen, who allegedly failed to return money to depositors after promising a 36 per cent annual return.
A Thane court has sentenced a financial advisor to two years rigorous imprisonment in a case of criminal breach of trust filed by a woman and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on him.
The owner of Shivam Associates in Belagavi has been arrested following allegations of multi-crore investment fraud and unregulated financial activities. Authorities are investigating the firm's dealings with thousands of investors.
The bill provides for severe punishment ranging from 1 year to 10 years and pecuniary fines ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 50 crore to act as deterrent.
A couple from Kerala, running a chit fund company in Bengaluru, has allegedly fled after cheating over 1,300 investors of more than Rs 50 crore. Police have launched a manhunt and are investigating the extent of the fraud.
'People who have unaccounted money often park it in unregulated deposit schemes.' 'Curbing illegal deposit-raising activity will also carry forward the government's drive against black money.'
Probe has been completed against 83.
The news of Bengaluru-based IMA cheating thousands once again underlines the need for investors to steer clear of unregulated deposit schemes. The most important sign of a Ponzi scheme is the promise of exorbitant returns and so investors must ask how the promoter expects to earn the kind of return he is promising, says Sanjay Kumar Singh.
'Digital courts will alleviate congestion in traditional courts.'
Ponzi schemes have characteristics that the informed investor can spot easily.
The finance ministry has proposed to decriminalise a host of minor offences, including those relating to cheque bounce and repayment of loans, in as many as 19 legislations to help businesses tide over the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The 19 legislations include Negotiable Instruments Act (cheque bounce), SARFAESI Act (repayment of bank loans), LIC Act, PFRDA Act, RBI Act, NHB Act, Banking Regulation Act and Chit Funds Act.
Kumar said the Commission will follow the time-tested methods of consultations and consensus building in bringing about any reforms and will not shy away from tough decisions, according to an Election Commission (EC) statement.
India does not have a unified regulatory regime to counter Ponzi, or pyramid, schemes whose operators typically grab new deposits to meet their promise of guaranteed returns to existing savers, point out Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj.
Following several instances of poor drafting of Cabinet notes and bills in the recent past, on September 11, the Cabinet Secretariat wrote to all ministries and departments to read up paragraph 55 of the 'Handbook of Writing Cabinet Notes'. Archis Mohan reports.
'Neither the Centre nor the state is helping us, rather they are coming up with new ways to create stumbling blocks for the return of money.'
